Starting from April 2008, I had embarked on a vigorous reading regime. Devouring books mostly of literature and fictional nature, and journalists coverage of war and inaccessible nations, an obsessions which takes me frequent trips to the local libraries, scouring Amazon.co.uk for reviews and updating my virtual bookshelf on a daily basis. It was not until in September 2008, that I realised that 2008 is the year of UK’s National Reading Year. And a lot of reading I managed to do indeed, if it is not for the housekeeping urgent matters and discovery of blogging towards the end of the year, I would have hope it would be a year of 100 books. A year of unemployment, but not reading unfulfilled. Maybe, not quite fulfilled, the more I read, the more I discover what I have yet to read. So here’s my review for 2008:Total Books Read: 96Total Pages Read: 32,814Non-Fiction: 36Fiction: 60 Classics: 2Comics/Graphic Novels Read: 1 Skim Reading: 10Same Year (2008 ) Edition: 21 Previous Year (2007) Edition: 28By Women writers: 38By Men writers: 58 By Journalist Authors: 7Asian origin authors: 11Thick Books (400+ pages): 8 Book Series by same Authors (more than 2 books): Marina Lewycka, Khaled Hosseini, Lionel Shriver, Paul Coelho, Asne Seierstad, Michael Palin, Christina Lamb, Colin Thuborn, Marcus Buckingham, Jhumpa Lahiri, Alexander McCall Smith, Kate Morton, John O’Farrell, Tony Parsons, Amy Tan, Anthony Capella.Best Reading Month: October – 16 Books, 6,424 PagesWorst Reading Month: January & February – None, April – 4 Books, 1,395 pages

My Top 10 Fiction:

Fieldwork by Micha Berlinski

Post-birthday world by Lionel Shriver

Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann

The Road Home by Rose Tremain

My Favourite Wife by Tony Parsons

Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Short history of tractors in Ukrainian – a novel by Marina Lewycka

My Top 10 Non-Fiction:

Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner

The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan

An Utterly impartial History of Britain by John O’Farrell

Go, Put your strengths to work by Marcus Buckingham

Blood River – A journey to Africa’s Broken Heart by Tim Butcher

Sewing Circle of Herat – My Afghan Years by Christina Lamb

House of Stone : a family divided in war-torn Zimbabwe by Christina Lamb

With their backs to the world – Portraits from Serbia by Asne Seierstad

Google Story by David Wise

The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan

Full List

1. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
2. Gweilo, a memoir of a Hong Kong Childhood by Martin Booth
3. Atonement by Ian McEwan
4. Short history of tractors in Ukrainian – a novel, by Marina Lewycka
5. Anna Karenina – in half the time by Leo Tolstoy
6. Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka
7. George Michael – The Biography by Rob Jovanovic
8. Adrian Mole and Weapons of Mass Destruction by Sue Townsend
9. Digital Photography by Jenny Glenwright
10. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
11. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
12. The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
13. The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan
14. Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins
Binding: Paperback
15. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
16. Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann
17. P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern
18. A Common mistakes at IELTS Intermediate : and how to avoid them
19. The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
20. Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski
21. The Google Story: inside the hottest business, media and technology success of our timeby David Wise
22. The Post-Birthday World by Lionel Shriver
23. The Lost Diary of Don Juan by Douglas Carlton Abrams
24. First, Break all the Rules by Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman
25. Mister Pip by Llyod Jones
26. We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver
27. The Tipping Point: how little things can make a big difference by Malcolm Gladwell
28. The Witch of Portbello by Paul Coelho
29. With their backs to the world : Portraits from Serbia by Anne Seierstad
30. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
31. The Angel of Grozny: Inside Chechnya by Anne Seierstad
32. New Europe by Michael Palin
33. The Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thuborn
34. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
35. Now, Discover your strengths – How to develop your talents and those of the people you manage by Marcus Buckingham, Donald O. Clifton
36. House of Stone: The true story of a family divided in war-torn Zimbabwe by Christina Lamb
37. Go, Put your strengths to work: Six powerful steps to achieve outstanding performance by Marcus Buckingham
38. The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
39. A Season in Red: My great leap forward into the new China by Kirsty Needham
40. Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
41. Love You, Mean it : A true story of love, loss and friendship after the twin towers fell by Patricia Carrington, Julia Collins, Claudia Gerbasi, Ann Haynes
42. The Sound of Butterflies by Rachael King
43. Manual of the Warrior of Light by Paul Coelho
44. The Road Home by Rose Tremain
45. The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva
46. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
47. Flowing like a River by Paul Coelho
48. Lisa B Lifestyle Essentials by Lisa Baustica
49. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
50. The Geography of Bliss, The : The grumpiest man on the planet goes in search of the happiest place in the world by Eric Weiner
51. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (The No. 1 Ladies Detective Series – Book 1)
52. The Zahir: A novel of Obsession by Paul Coelho
53. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
54. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
55. Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
56. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith (The No. 1 Ladies Detective series – Book 9)
57. Morality of Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
58. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith (The No. 1 Ladies Detective Series – Book 4)
59. The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith (The No. 1 Ladies Detective series – Book 5)
60. In the company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith (The No. 1 Ladies Detective Series – Book 6)
61. 50 Success Classics by Tom Butler-Bowdon
62. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
63. An Utterly Impartial history of Britain: or 2000 years of Upper Class by John O’Farrell
64. Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith (The No. 1 Ladies Detective Series– Book 2)
65. My Favourite Wife by Tony Parsons
66. Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith (The No. 1 Ladies Detective Series– Book 8)
67. Behind the Wall: A journey through China by Colin Thuborn
68. May Contain Nuts by John O’Farrell
69. Sewing Circle of Herat by Christina Lamb
70. Man and Boy by Tony Parsons
71. Man and Wife by Tony Parsons
72. House of Riverton by Kate Morton
73. A Hundred and One Days: A Baghdad Journal by Asne Seierstad
74. I have a Bream by John O’Farrell
75. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
76. The Outcast by Sadie Jones
77. The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan
78. Notes from Exhibition by Patrick Gale
79. The Blood River – A journey to Africa’s Broken Heart by Tim Butcher
80. The Guide to Management Ideas and Gurus by Tim Hindle
81. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
82. The Family Way by Tony Parsons
83. The Various Flavour of Coffee by Anthony Capella
84. The Africa House by Christina Lamb
85. Do Good Lives Have to Cost the Earth? by Andrew Simms / Joe Smith
86. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
87. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
88. Sahara by Michael Palin
89. Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan
90. The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella
91. Things I want my Daughter to Know by Elizabeth Noble
92. Words 2007 Foundation to Expert by Chris Voyse, Patrick Muse
93. Style Guide: The best selling guide to English usage (A concise edition) by John Grimond
94. Brick Lane by Monica Ali
95. 365 activities you and your toddler will love by Dr. Roni Cohen Leiderman, Dr, Wendy Masi
96. Adventures of Tintin Volume 3: Broken Ear, Black Island, King Ottokar’s Spectre by Herge

Books Read

Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)